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Post by Patrick on Apr 7, 2009 11:20:01 GMT
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Post by rjpageuk on Apr 7, 2009 11:33:21 GMT
I read the article and it doesnt really go into a lot of detail but it is something I have argued about at length on these boards.
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Post by Patrick on Apr 7, 2009 12:00:17 GMT
I read the article and it doesnt really go into a lot of detail but it is something I have argued about at length on these boards. Here's Transform's website, the report is there in pdf format. www.tdpf.org.uk/ |
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Post by housesparrow on Apr 7, 2009 15:01:03 GMT
Yet alcohol is a wider problem than drugs. The sobering article which spawned another thread speaks of alcoholics stealing £400 a week and more to sustain their habit.
No-one I hope is arguing that drugs will be free. Yes, there is an argument for giving heroin to addicts who are already on a substitute programme but still inject, but that is different to the making drugs freely available to new users. Crack cocaine produces a huge and (I gather) almost insatiable craving - much worse than heroin, which sends you to sleep - and crack addicts can spend thousands a week if they have it. Making it cheaper will just mean they can buy more.
I didn't have time to download anything from the site (still on dial -up) but do feel that the UK, with its enormous problems, is not the best country to pilot the legalising of drugs.
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Apr 7, 2009 15:19:56 GMT
I don't take drugs anymore, but if I did, I would buy them off my mates and "contacts" like I used to. The government would charge twice as much as any dealer and dish out weak-ass gear.
AH
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Post by housesparrow on Apr 7, 2009 16:20:24 GMT
I've just read the article and realise they are talking about selling the stuff, and agree with AH. Drugs are much easier to smuggle than drink, so there will still be street demand.
And I'm also concerned about who would be able to buy the stuff. Adults, same as alcohol, I presume, but then teenagers would buy it off dealers, as now.
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Apr 7, 2009 16:29:26 GMT
I think the government drugs would cost about 2x as much as proper street drugs...I base this on the fact that the tobacco I buy from "that dodgy bloke in the pub" is around half price compared to shop prices.
AH
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Post by rjpageuk on Apr 7, 2009 17:30:22 GMT
I think the government drugs would cost about 2x as much as proper street drugs...I base this on the fact that the tobacco I buy from "that dodgy bloke in the pub" is around half price compared to shop prices. Compare where the drugs you are buying are coming from and where the cigarettes you are buying are coming from (and why they are cheaper). |
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Post by housesparrow on Apr 7, 2009 20:43:44 GMT
At least "government" drugs would be quality controlled! You could get anything buying off a dealer. Street heroin is a ghastly concoction with all kinds of rubbish mixed in with the diamorphine, which is the main reason why injectors' veins get clogged up (I gather).
The article only mentions a couple of soft drugs, I note, and is silent on the question of whether cocaine, heroin, crystal meth. etc should be legalised (again, I didn't download the pdf article)
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Apr 7, 2009 21:34:36 GMT
Never bought herion, so it's no concern of mine if bagheads are dropping all over the place...they are more likely to die when they can't get any gear and start eating everything with drug content anyway.  I bet you'd need about 10 government issue E's to get a proper hit. Did I ever tell you folks about the time I and several hundred others got stung with ketamin capsules? Fucking awful....a rave full of horribly ill looking people...I went partially blind and lost all sense of balance for a bit. Happy days though. ;D AH |
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Post by Patrick on Apr 7, 2009 21:37:02 GMT
At least "government" drugs would be quality controlled! You could get anything buying off a dealer. Street heroin is a ghastly concoction with all kinds of rubbish mixed in with the diamorphine, which is the main reason why injectors' veins get clogged up (I gather). ..........and even Cannabis has become stronger over the years (recently) as we're being told? |
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Post by rjpageuk on Apr 8, 2009 11:37:42 GMT
Never bought herion, so it's no concern of mine if bagheads are dropping all over the place...they are more likely to die when they can't get any gear and start eating everything with drug content anyway. Ok I think I didnt make my point clear enough! The cigarettes you are buying are made by the big companies with economies of scale at low prices. You are saving money because you are effectively just buying the product without the tax. If drugs were legalised they would be produced very cheaply compared to today due to issues of distribution etc. and it is pretty much impossible for the current suppliers of drugs to compete with this. |
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Post by everso on Apr 8, 2009 15:20:41 GMT
I don't take drugs anymore, but if I did, I would buy them off my mates and "contacts" like I used to. The government would charge twice as much as any dealer and dish out weak-ass gear. AH And I wonder if the legalising of drugs would somehow take the excitement out of getting involved in the first place. Like smoking tobacco was never as much fun once your parents knew. If the government took over would this mean that drugs would be handed out free? If not, then it wouldn't reduce crime at all. The junkies would still need their fixes and if they didn't have the money they'd steal it just the same as they do now. If the government supplied cheaper drugs, they'd just get more for their money, so they'd probably turn to dealing and undercut the government in return! |
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Post by housesparrow on Apr 8, 2009 18:13:19 GMT
There does seem to be a general feeling that some drugs are okay and some not. Alpha H isn't concerned about heroin addition, but I am, having a "tame junkie" as a pal.
Of all the drugs I've known him take, crack cocaine is probably the worst, followed by valium, which he buy from dealers and takes in large amounts. I hope we never reach the stage when people can walk into a chemist's shop and buy the stuff over the counter. We have a prescribing regime for a reason.
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Post by rjpageuk on Apr 8, 2009 19:42:42 GMT
If the government took over would this mean that drugs would be handed out free? If not, then it wouldn't reduce crime at all. The junkies would still need their fixes and if they didn't have the money they'd steal it just the same as they do now. How much crime do you think we have in order to fund people's cigarette habits compared to say heroin? The difference is not because people are so much more desperate for heroin it is because of the vast difference in cost. The cigarette habit costs about £5 a day a heroin habit costs about £100 a day. Alpha H isn't concerned about heroin addition, but I am, having a "tame junkie" as a pal. Tell us about it, I am interested. What are the effects/problems? |
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Post by housesparrow on Apr 9, 2009 21:07:01 GMT
It's hard to know where to start. A kind, caring guy who can't cope with the complications of modern life - too intelligent to want or need care, yet desperately needing some kind of community in his life. A guy who is happy in prison/rehab/hospital but can't cope living an independent life.
A guy who takes drugs and then does bad things to feed his habit. A guy with a distorted perspective who doesn't seem to understand his own problems.
It's hard to know where to finish!
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